Improvement in end-gates for wagons



S. G. THOMAS.

lmprovemen in End Gates for Wagons.

No.123,430. Patented Feb. 6,1372

all.

UNITED STATns ATENT FFICE.

SAll/IUEL G. THOMAS, OE EDEN, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVE-MENT IN END-GATES FOR WAGONS.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, SAMUEL G. THOMAs, o Eden, in the county of Iroquois and in the State of lllinois, have invented an End-Gate for Wagons, changeable for upper and lowerboxes of wagons 5 and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawing making apart of this specification, in which like letters of referencerefer to like parts, and in which- Figure l represents an elevation of rear of wagon with end-gate in position, showing the addition of an upper box in connection with this gate; Fig. 2, a vertical cross-section of gate through line a a a a, Fig. I; Fig. 3, plan of gate, showing mode of inserting the gate between the stationary cleats and the hinged cleats.

Thisisachangeablenpperandlowerend-gate, and consists of two separate parts or divisions, E D. The longest division, D, is used for the wagon-box proper when no upper box is attached, but is used with the smaller division E below it when the upper box is attached, as seen in Fig. 1. Both are held between cleats in the usual manner at one end, and are secured by a hinged cleat or cleats at the other, the latter being kept closed against the side of the wagon by cams attached to the gate. In connection with this plan, as a means of bracing the opposite sides of the wagon, the larger division of the gate has two Vhorizontal rods on its inner surface or back, which slide in slots in vertical bars or braces, each rod having' a rectangular hook at either end, which enters an eye set in the inner cleats at corresponding points to the said hooks.

Arepresents the wagon-sides; B, the bottomboard; a, hinged cleats; O, the top box, one side being made with one of the outer cleats a hinged to the said side near the straddle-cleats i t', which hold the box in position on the lower one, A. In other respects it does not differ from other similar boxes now in use. b b are the two stationary cleats at the opposite side to the hinged cleat a. b' is a third stationary cleat behind the gate and the hinged cleat. D is the larger end-gate, ot the same depth as the lower box orwagon proper, having two vertical cleats or braces, f f, behind it, through slots in which two horizontal rods, g g, slide, one near the upper edge ot' the board, the other near the lower edge. Each rod terminates at either end in a rectangular elbow or hook, which enters a corresponding eye, It, set in stationary cleats b b b ofthe upper and lower boxes A O, two eyes, h, to each box. The rods g gare each squared at one or both ends where they pass through the slots in the cleats j' f, said square or iiattened parts terminating in small shoulders m m, to prevent the rod from undue protrusion when not attached to the eyes It h. The outer face of this gate, and indeed both gates, may have a stron g cleat, n, attached to their centers; and this larger gate D, further, has two cams, e e, attached at that end adjacent to the hinged clamps or cleats a a, to engage with and keep the same shut. E is the smaller gate or division, and is merelyaplain board with acleat, n, and a ring or handle, p, at the end nearest to the hinged cleat a, and is made of the same depth as the upper box O, but always occupies the lower place when the upper box is attached to the wagon. It will be seen that these boards are retained in cleats, all xed ones, at one side of the wagon, as also are the interior cleats on the other side of boxes, the outer cleats a a only being hinged to the sides, so that they may be opened to admit the end-gate.

The operation ,of this changeable upper and lower end-gate is as follows: The larger gate D, when used with an upper box, O C, is placed above the smaller gate E, and is attached to and braces both the upper and lower boxes (.l A, by means of the rods g g on its inner side, in the following manner: The hinged cleats a a being opened, one end of the gate is inserted within the stationary cleats b b b b of the boxes O A, the inner corner of the gate being rounded for this purpose, first pulling or letting the rods g g drop toward that end of the board as far as the shoulders m m will allow them, and inserting their hooks simultaneously into the respective eyes h h on the upper and lower cleats b b. The other end of the gate is then swung vagainst the stationary cleats b b ofthe upper boxes at once. When the upper box is dispenseel with, of course the smaller gate is not used at that time, and but one of the rods g g comes into use-17. e., the upper one-and then lls the place of the common rod or brace in Wagon-ends. In unloadin g some kinds of articles the lower gate, E, may be alone removed, leaving the upper one, D, remaining.

What I Claim as my invention is l. The large end-gate D with its sliding rods g g, in combination With the eyes h h 7L h of' upper or lower boxes A 0,01 both, and the cleats b b b, and the hinged cleat or cleats ct a, of upper or lower boxes A C, or both, and the upper box C and lower box D, or both.

2. In combination with the gate D and the hinged cleats a a', the cams e e, or equivalents, for closing the hinged cleat-s a a, or either of them.

3. In combination with the gate D, the Wagonbottom B, and the Wagon-boxAA and its cleats b b b a, the smaller gate E, substantially as described.

In testimonyT that I Claim the foregoing endgate for Wagons I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of December, A. D. 1871.

SAMUEL G. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

WM. J Aox, J AMES M. MARTIN. 

